Procedure:-(1)Roast the sooji in butter till you get a nice aroma.(2)Add milk & water alongwith banana cut into small pieces.(3)Then add sugar, raisins, almonds, charoli, kesar, cardomom seeds & cook till it comes to a small smooth texture & cook it fully.(4)Then you can add butter on the top.

Onion Pakode (Kanda Bhaji)(An highly tempting & mouth-watering spicy maharashtrian snack made with onions. A good treat to have on rainy days.)

Procedure:-(1)Mix all the ingredients together except oil in bowl & add very little water while mixing and make a batter.(2)Take oil in a kadai when it is piping hot put spoonful of the above mixture into it & deep fry till done.!3)Serve with tamarind or green chutney or my son's favorite tomato ketchup.

Vegetable Cutlets(A cutlet made with vegetables, potatoes & spices & is a very fulfilling dish.)

Procedure:-(1)In a little oil fry the jeera then add the paste alongwith turmeric powder & red chilly powder. Then add the cashews & stir for a minute. Grate thefrench beans, peas, carrots, whole corn in a food processer & then add to the above mixture. Add it to the potato mixture. (2)Then make small pieces of the bread & mix them in the mixture. Add salt & make a big round of the mixture. Then make small flat rounds of the mixture. In a pan take oil once hot dip the rounds in bread crumbs & fry the cutlets in hot oil. They have to be crispy & golden brown. Serve it with any chutney of your choice.

Kanda Pohe(It is a very famous, delicious, nutritious & all time favorite breakfast & snack dish in Maharashtra.)

(1)Thaw the pastry sheets as per the instructions on the package. Make the filling before hand. Prepare it before thawing so it cools down.(2)In a pan take oil, once hot add the onions & fry them till golden brown.(3)Than add the ginger-garlic paste & cook till the raw smell of ginger garlic goes away.(4)Then add in the tomatoes & cook them for 2 to 3 minutes.(5)Then add the washed ground chicken with the dry ingredients & cook by adding little water. Cook till the kheema is completely cooked & dry.(6)Cool down completely. Then take the thawed pastry sheets. Cut them into squares.Roll them a little so that the filling fits in easily. Fill the filling on each of them & seal them completely.(7)Bake them in the oven for about 400 degress F for 25 minutes on each sides till well done.

1. Combine Chana and Urad Daals, wash well and soak in water overnight (at least 8 hrs).2. Drain out water and add daals to food processor or blender.3. Add Yogurt and grind daals into a coarse mixture but not too coarse (If using blender, add 1/4 cup water to help with grinding).4. Remove mixture into a bowl and add Chickpea Flour, Salt, Turmeric Powder, Asafoetida. If you used a food processor to grind and did not add the 1/4 cup water for grinding, add it now.5. Mix well, cover and keep in warm place overnight to ferment.6. Once fermented, add Green Chili ginger Paste Oil and Lemon/Lime Juice. Mix well.7. Grease a vessel with oil & put water at the bottom of the steamer.8. When the water starts to steam, add Baking Soda to the batter and mix well in one direction.9. Pour the batter into the greased vessel.10. Place dish back in the steamer, cover and steam for 20 minutes.11. After 20 minutes, remove Khaman from the pot and leave on counter to cool for 20 minutes.12. When 5 minutes are left, start on the Seasoning.13. Heat Oil in a small skillet.14. Add Mustard Seeds and allow them to pop then add the hing sesame seeds. curry leaves & green chillies. Pour it over the khaman. Sprinkle coconut & coriander leaves on top.

Sabudana Khichadi(An indian dish made from soaked sabudana(sago/tapioca) is extremely popular in Maharashtra. It is a obvious choice when somebody is having a fast.)

Procedure:-(1)In a pan take ghee Once hot add the cumin seeds & hing. Then add the green chillies. Then add potatoes along with some salt & sugar.(2)Cook them till potato are cooked then add the sabudana & peanut powder. Cook the khichadi covered till done. Then add coconut & coriander leaves.

Thalipeeth(A extremely nutritious & tasty dish from Maharashtra & is a combination of various flours & spices. It is cooked differently in various parts but in US one can combine this different flours to get the same taste.)

Put the puris on a plate & spread a little sweet chutney on them then put the onions, potato,,tomato & chaat masala. Top it with sev & then put both the chutneys on top. Sprinkle lemon juice. Decorate with coriander leaves.

Procedure:-(1)Take one slice of bread & apply the green chutney to it.(2)Then put the cucumber slices,onions & potatoes on it & sprinkle it with salt & pepper.(3)On the other slice of bread apply butter & place it on top of the vegetables. Put ketchup on top. Cut the sandwich into 9 square pieces as shown in the picture. Serve immediately.

Procedure:-(1)Once
the matki is soaked overnight place it in a strainer & put it there
for one day till sprouts come out.(2)In a pan take oil & once
hot add mustard seeds & hing powder.(3)Then add the onions &
fry them for a minute.(4)Then add the& j matki alongwith red
chilly powder & turmeric powder & salt. Add the
tomatoes.(5)Add water & cook matki till fully cooked. It should be of a little watery consistency.Add garam masala.(6)At
this point take a small pan, once hot put the remaining oil and in the
oil put the garlic & pour the oil over the matki.(7)Garnish with
coriander leaves on top.(8)In a bowl take the matki usal put onion on top then put the sev & then top it with coriander leaves. Sprinkle lime juice on top.(9)Serve hot with pav. You can add chilly powder as per your taste.

Chapati Noodles(Noodles made with leftover or even fresh chapattis. Very nutritious.)

Procedure:-(1)In a pan take oil, once hot add the cumin seeds when they splutter add the onions then add the ginger-garlic paste.(2)Add the pav bhaji masala with red chilly powder, & then add salt & tomatoes.Cook till oil separates the masala.(3)Then add the green papper. Take the chapatis two at a time. Roll into a roll. Cut them into long strips starting from the sides. Add them to the mixture & mix them up. Check salt at this point. Garnish it with spring onion greens. Serve hot.

Soak the poha in water for a 1 minute. Take out the water & separate them with a fork.

Then beat the curd add it to the pohe. Then in a pan take oil put the cumin seeds, asafoetida powder ,curry leaves & green chillies add this to the pohe along with salt & sugar. Garnish with coriander leaves.

1. In pan, dry roast Coriander Seeds, Dry Red Chilies and Whole Black Peppercorns until golden brown and then cool them. 2. Wash and the meat & make it dry. 3. To the Meat, add Fried Onions, Coriander Leaves, Green Chilies, Ginger/Garlic Paste, Garam Masala, Dry Mango Powder (amchur) and Salt. 4. Grind the cooled whole spices into a fine powder and add it to the meat. 5. Mix well & cover and keep in the refrigerator for 2 hour to marinate. 6. Remove from fridge, and mix in 1 beaten egg. Then add bread crumbs to hold it together. 7. Shape them into ovals & roast them in a oven at 400 degrees for 40 minutes till done. Flip them over in between. 8. You can also shallow fry them in oil. 9. Serve hot with any chutney or sauce of your choice.

Procedure:-(1)Wash chicken throughly & make cuts in the leg & thigh pieces with a knife.(2)Marinate them with the rest of the ingredients given above & keep it in the refrigerator overnight.(3)Preheat oven to 450 degrees & then put the pieces in a oven proof container & put them in the oven.(4)Let them roast for 30 minutes & then turn them over with little butter.(5)Let them roast for another 20 minutes till done.(6)Serve hot.

Rava Dosa(Pancake made from semolina. It is very popular in South India.)

Procedure:-(1)Wash the daal & soak it for about 8 hours.(2)Then grind it to a smooth paste. Let the mixture ferment in a warm place. Keep the mixture for about 10 hours. Add salt. Add sooji.(3)Once the sooji-daal mixture becomes smooth, heat a griddle, once hot pour the mixture on it in a outward spriral motion drizzle it with oil. turn & cook the other side too. Serve hot with chutney or sambhar or both.

Gobhi Manchurian(An indian chinese dish. Very famous in metropolitian cities.)